Other calculating machines



Sept. 26, 1939. B. BERIA 2,174,150

KEYBOARD FOR CASH REGISTERS AND OTHER CALCULATING MACHINES Filed April 3', 1956 Patented Sept. 26, 1939 UNITED STATES KEYBOARD FOR CASH REGISTERS AND OTHER. CALCULATING MACHINES Biag'lo Beria, Turin, Italy Application April 3, 1936. Serial No. 72,487

In Italy April 11, 1935 4 Claims.

This invention relates to self-contained key bank assemblies for cash registers and other calculating machines, more particularly of the type in which the'keys are automatically blocked in 5 their depressed position till they are mechanically released, and may further be locked against depression.

It is an object of this invention to provide a construction which'admits of the largest pos IU sible use of parts pressed from sheet metal.

It is another object of this invention'to arrange the constituent parts of a key bank assembly in such manner that building-up and replacement of parts can be very easily carried it out. With these and incidental objects in view the invention consists in certain new constructions, combinations and arrangements of the parts of a key bank assembly, of which the essential features are set forth in the claims 20 and which shall now be illustrated with reference to the drawings showing by way of example a key bank assembly embodying the objects of the invention.

Figure 1 shows the holder of a column of 25 amount keys of a cash register partly in side view and partly in longitudinal section. Figure 2 is a section on line IIII of Fig. 1. Figure 3 is' a plan view with some of the key shafts shown in section.

30 The holder I of arcuated form is made of channel-shaped sheet metal. The stems 2 of the nine or ten keys forming a column are placed in slots in its upper and lower walls, said keys being made from sheet metal.

As shown in Figs. 1 and 3 the slots 2 in the upper wall of the holder I are so shaped that the key shafts and the projecting portions on them, to be hereinafter described, can be inserted through these slots and when the key shafts are in their final positions they occupy portions of the slots whose longitudinal dimension corresponds with the width of thekey shafts measured longitudinally of the holder. In the transverse direction the slots 2 are wider than the key shafts to facilitate their introthe key stems 2 and the lower wall of the holder I press the teeth 3 on the key stems 2 with their front faces against the upper wall of the holder I. A cover plate 6 is placed on this wall, of which the longitudinal slot 6' laterally guides 5 the stems 2 of all the keys in the column. The

.cover plate 6 is fitted in position and removed by moving it endwise. In the position of use its lower bent end I embraces one end of the upper wall of the holder I. At that end of the 10 cover plate 5 where the slot 6 is open, one side wall of the cover plate is provided with two cuts so as to form the tongue 8 which is bent inwardly. The upper wall of the U-shaped holder is provided at its corresponding end with a notch 8a, suiting in form the tongue 8 so that the latter on displacement of the slide 6 for mounting it snaps into the notch 8a and thereby holds the slide 6 against displacement for removal.

Two sheet metal sectors 8 and I3 are situated between the key stems 2 and the side wall of the channel-shaped holder I. The sector 9 serves to hold the keys in their depressed position, and is provided with a tooth ID for each key, said tooth being formed with an inclined surface. A :5 spring II anchored at one end to the holder I and at its other end to the sector 9 urges the inclined surfaces of the teeth III against the inclined surfaces on the teeth 3 of the key stems 2. Therefore, depression of a key 2 produces'an so angular displacement of the sector 9 (in Fig. '1, downwardly to the left). As the key reaches its lowered position, the sector 9 gives way to the spring II and the tooth III comes in front of the tooth} on the depressed key, as shown in Fig.

I in connection with the second lowest key. The key snaps back to its initial position underthe action of the spring 4 when the sector 9 is again moved downwardly. This displacement can take place in two manners:

1. By depression of another key, for instance when it is desired to change the value set up before performing the operation;

2. By the riding of the cam Ila mounted on the shaft I l on the end 9a of the sector 9, which takes 5 place automatically before the end of the operation.

The sector I3 locks all the keys in the column against depression by the fact that its projections I4 enter corresponding recesses in the key stems 5o 2. The spring I5 which is anchored at one end.

to the holder I and at its other end to the sector I3 holds the projections II out of engagement with the keys as long as the sector- I3 is not moved downwardly to the left. This displacement is l produced by the cam We carried by the shaft l8 riding on the end Ma of the sector l3, which takes place automatically on preparing the cash regls= ten for taking a. total from o totollzel'. A shown lay the example of the depressed key lllnntz eteol on the drawing the sector ll cannot lee moved towm'ds its looking noeltlon when 5: key the column is depressed,

Both sectors Q and l3 else aetelnecl on side wall tlle channel-s holder l by means of the book 5 llzzeel to tee later mnnnel of e. loayonet eoup logy" nook ellts sectors 0 The l1 M.

to the by of w l and l".

v the slots in said flange against displacement only in the longitudinal dh'ectlon of said holder, and a cover plate arranged on said flange capable of enfiwiee displacement for removal nntl lormed wltln e, longitudinal slot open one end ol said cover plate for the passage anal lateral guidance b of all the keys of the eolnnm.

3. A sell-contained lzey we mlo v' for Eeelstels and other; enlenletlng wee co prising e, holdezc for a column 0 m slotted horizontal flange, the the slots ln sold "La-nae the longitudinal covey plate ee emlwlee tllsplnc ent with a longitudinal slot opm end. of novel" plate fol page? lateral of all the of t tacking elastically to snap auto JllEll the cover eoeition en 

